Little wonder that the likes of Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker and so many more down the years turned out the way they did, both in the pool and in terms of earning the admiration and respect of just about all those whose paths they cross, whose lives they touch.

Here are a few thoughts from the man who earned the American Swimming Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award:

• "We are the product of what we do."
• "There are no short cuts in our sport. Our sport is the greatest in the world ... it is an accountability sport ... you cannt fool it or trick it"
• "We are all lucky to be in this sport: our life goal is to help people and we need to keep that in mind."
• "Leadership is an honour ...  the leader should bare the pain and never give it. That's real hard to do."
• And a little of the reap what you sow:
• "When you die you take with you what you’ve given to others ... we have the perfect job for that."

The words come from Eddie Reese, a man glad to see the back of shiny suits, glad to see the back of anything that leaves the nature of performance unclear, leaves achievement open to question, a man happy to state things like they are and to rely on talent, hard and smart work on his way to helping shape boys and girls into young men and women fit not only for the race pool but for life itself. 

It is the fifth time Reese has won the ASCA award and takes to two the number of men to have achieved that accolade: the other is current USA head coach Mark Schubert, who was there to applaud for coach Reese.

The ceremony in Fort Lauderdale also saw seven other great coaches  inducted into the ASCA Hall of Fame: Ron Ballatore (UCLA), Bob Gillett (Arizona Desert Fox/Golden West), Peter Malone (Kansas City Blazers), Phil Moriarty (Yale), Jack Nelson (Fort Lauderdale Swim Team) and Richard Shoulberg (Germantown Academy). And more on them some time soon. 

Along with the hard work, coach Reese is a man who advocates an unequivocal commitment to honesty and integrity. Those fortunate to have attended the excellent World Clinic of the American Swimming Coaches Association in Fort Lauderdale heard him say this:  “I favour a more extensive testing programme in swimming now because of the way people are seeking easier ways to do that [progress, swim faster times]. A lifetime ban would be fine by me ... I'm totally for hard work."

The Texas coach, whose 26 Olympians have won 29 gold medals between them so far, was a joy to listen to as he spoke to the theme of “Strength: How to get stronger at each level”. No matter how old the pupil, from under-10s to elite world-class athletes, any strength programme should be built on the twin pillars of safety and use of good technique.

Coach Reese is of the view that early strength development and putting in place the building blocks and habits for the future are to be encouraged, but he emphasis moderation and consideration of the individual. 

"We are a product of what we do," he told coaches. "My grandchildren swim, use a rock wall .... and they have goals that are set, through having fun and in a way that talks to the drive in them."

He talked about an eight-year-old who did 150 press-ups each evening. That effort made a huge impact on the child’s core strength: he improved his 100m medley best time by more than 30secs in a matter of weeks. But for those who might take a cue to pile on pressure early in a young swimmer’s life, Reese was keen to note the moderate, introductory nature of what he was advocating:  "For the 10s and unders, most of ‘em will get strength just by swimming." If any dry land strength exercises were to be introduced so early then start with “push ups off knees and keep it simple ... if he can only do half push ups, that’s better than nothing and then just do five." The same principle applied to the over-40s: "If you have been working out and maybe you can only do two pulls ups a week ... but do it, because its a start."

Here are some tips from coach Reese, garnered over his years of experience and from the worlds of medical professionals and sports scientists, for those guiding young swimmers through the ranks from a very young age to senior waters:

10 years and under:

• do not use horizontal ladders and parallel bars as a way of building strength: the sternum is not ready to take the load do use a "slightly vertical ladder" but "safety must come first  ... if one swimmer gets a twinge in the  weight room I will move him back and then start [over] lighter ... and if happens again I will find another exercise that works the same muscle group but doesn't put him in the same position. Technique is very important from the very start ... do push ups, but do 'em right. The moment the technique breaks down or the child struggles - stop. 
• Under 10s should be encouraged to enjoy the rock wall and engage in running, all in level with a child's ability and development, his or her technique and with safety paramount.
• Coach Reese explained what he called the epitome of diminishing returns as seen through his own experience building up, later in life, from 5 push ups every five minutes for 30 minutes to doing 300 to 500 a day. The level up to which he was actually gaining from that type of exercise he estimated at 100 to 150 push ups a day. 
• He also tested the theory, on himself, that no exercise should exceed the point of pain. He worked out in that fashion for eight months but "my fitness suffered ... it is true what they say about gain and pain".

Ages 11-12

• do tethered swimming - but no more than 15mins at a time and only then if the swimmer is strong enough to get his hand through the pull phase in the right pattern. In real swimming, if a swimmer is not strong, the body simply moves over the arm through the water but in tethered swimming, the swimmer is forced to work the arm, which can be detrimental if the swimmer is not strong enough
• do sit-ups, push-ups,  dips and horizontal ladder
• do rock wall and running
• avoid chin-ups on the ladder 
• make safety and technique a priority

Ages 13-14

• do swimming with equipment tubes, paddles, parachutes, etc
• do push-ups pull-upss, sit-ups, dips, rope climbing
• introduce a little bilateral breathing, to keep the body balanced.
• do rock wall, running.
• Make technique and safety a priority
• On rope climbing, Reese noted once more: "We are a product of what we do ... we have to get out there and do it."

Ages 15- 17

• do swim with equipment
• introduce dryland or weights room: the requirement to lift weights is - must be able to do 10-plus good push-ups in a minute; 80 to 200 sit-ups in a minute; 5 to 8 pull-ups and 12 to 15 dips
• At this stage in a male life, the gains in strength just through living drop significantly, so "you have to help them make a difference through weights programme", says coach Reese. He adds: "Some are mature enough to go into weights room but i have requirements. If you can't do 40 good push-ups in a minute or more, no weights room." Some long-limbed and red-fibre people "can't move fast enough and can't gain the strength" at this stage, he noted.
• For those who do make it to the weight room, the Reese rule is that they must "keep it up and be consistent", meaning "keep repetitions at 12 to 20 and no more ... holding weight up is a sheering force, so don't let them do it."
• Above all: be safe; and maintain a good technique

17 upwards

• Never test with single movements; if one movement is a strain - stop
• always ease into something new: "swimmers look great but it takes time to develop them ... coaches, swimmers, parents, etc., don't like to take the time BUT it takes time," Reese noted.
• the weight room is "just another step along the way...don't try to jump steps"
• do exercise bench; leg press, dips, leg extensors, curls, horizontal rows (not  vertical), sit-ups (with surgical tubing linking hands to anchor point behind head)
• on any exercises: when in doubt, keep them out (any risk of injury)
• Reese noted that many swimmers like the weights room: "We have the weights room for 50 mins [scheduled] ... not a single swimmer is in there less than 1.5hrs ... 'cos they want to be there".
• avoid developing deltoids and trapezius
• in the water, err on the side of doing too much
• but where there's a risk of injury take them out

Coach Reese spoke briefly on the art of tapering. Every swimmer was different but the best taper he had seen was one that lasted nine weeks, no less. Most average in at 3 weeks or so.  "Taper is shaped by length, difficulty, length of season and consistency of practice," he said. Some rules of thumb:

• if  you don't have much muscle, taper less
• try and try again: "So many times in taper I say 'I hope this works' ... and it never does," Reese said with a smile.

Strength training, Reese concluded, was essential for all college swimmers and very important for all programmes, Reese stated. 

The ideal aim he summed up thus: "If you can keep their angular features and get them stronger, that's the name of the game."

Strength programmes were "tough to do individually but important", he noted and urged coaches to "be consistent through the season - keep your eyes on your goal. Their strength will seem to diminish as the water work gets more difficult - they are still getting stronger, but it won't show until they rest."

The next morning, I met coach Reese in the lift, a towel thrown over my shoulder. Knowing of his love (not) for straight-arm freestyle, I explained that I was going out to the ocean to try it out. He retorted with a smile: “Good, let’s hope we get to see a nice bull-shark attack then”. 

As he left the lift, coach Reese noted that he had “a kid 6ft 8in” tall who would soon prove that the classic and classy high-elbow freestyle that has been the hallmark of most sprinters down the years remained the best way to go.  Thrilling times ahead.